1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to devices for supporting computer terminals and, more particularly, to devices for supporting point-of-sale terminals.
2. State of the Art
In processing retail sales transactions, it is known to use point-of-sale terminals to read magnetic card information for check/debit authorization and credit verification purposes. For example, information entered into a point-of-sale terminal may be used for alerting a retail outlet that a credit/debit card is invalid or stolen, or that a customer has reached his credit limit. When a point-of-sale terminal is used for such purposes, the information read into the terminal is electronically transferred to a central data bank which contains authorization information.
In systems which have been recently developed for processing retail sales transactions, it is necessary for information to be entered into a keypad of a point-of-sale terminal by both a retail clerk and by a customer. Such systems include, for example, ones using the TRANSACT point-of-sale terminal available from Retail Profits, Inc. of Santa Clara, Calif. The transactions processed by such systems might include, for example, ones which require a customer's PIN (personal identification number).